Civic Hybrid - Why buy one?

I thought Insight did use cost reduction to aim for a lower price point than Prius, rather than meet Prius head on. That is how it ended up with a lower EPA sticker that the HCH.

But Insight didn't reduce price enough, and Prius played pricing hardball. That is part of the reason I ended up with the later at an excellent price.

 

I am saying the current Insight is itself a waste of scarce R&D resources since the IMA just can't compete with the HSD for the mpg crown in a Prius like form factor, not sure why Honda even tried instead of spending the funds on improving the IMA's incremental mpg gains for the Civic, Fit etc.

Even a true Insight II follow on (same form factor as the I, 70mpg) would have been a better choice for a "halo" car and green bragging rights.

 

What MPG are you getting with the Prius now?

 

Why are you guys even bothering to reply to this kid? It is a huge waste of time IMO. In the real world he would have been choked out long ago for being flippant and argumentative when there is no basis for argument. lol

 

Yup, he is an internet keyboard warrior.

 

Cause it's fun

 

The HCH has it's pros over the Prius. I had an 07 and traded in on a 10 Prius in 2009. I like the Prius better overall, but the HCH did have its advantages, albeit only a few, IMO. My typical drive to/from work, being as short as it is, nets in about the same MPG between the two cars (pre software update, since I didn't have it for that). What each person perceives to be an advantage over the other car is really personal preference. I won't knock someone for wanting an HCH over Prius - they're at least driving an efficient vehicle, and probably one that is even more so than their previous one.

 

Finally came across bwilson's excellent mpg charts.

Let's see ... either you are wrong or bwilson's mpg charts are made up. Pick one.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...4296-updated-mpg-vs-mph-chart.html#post917520

 

The chart shows 40 mpg at 80 mph, on brand new tyres. 45 mpg at 80 mph on nicely worn tyres sounds a little optimistic to me but not much. Perhaps 2k1 is a bit less wasteful in his other 10% of the drive cycle.

 

Don't forget the remaining 10% of the miles that could bring up the total MPG.

 

Exactly. I'm a "hybrid hypermiller". When intown, I can get high 50's and once over 60. My trek up the hill to get home (a couple thousand vertical feet) usually eats all my milage gains when I just drive it in the city. When on the highway, I would like to not piss off everyone around me and prove to them that yes a Prius can drive in the left lane if it wants to so I drive with the fast pack traffic.

 

Do you retract your previous claim then ? I can't wait to hear your fishing tales.

 

Yeah, I quit reading here.

-Brad

 

You know tpfun, that same chart you think is a smoking bullet put the Prius 3G at 45 mpg at 77 mph *on new tyres.*

How does your car perform at that speed ?

 

I do not and am confused by your inference.

Do you call high speed driving non-aggressive? Do you not realize that hypermilling can be done in any car on any tires, and that even when all odds are stacked against a prius it still shines?

If you don't mind, what is your age group? (+/- a couple years if you feel uncomfortable divulging such info).

 

I don't think it's to far of the mark depending on conditions. I drove 80-85mph from Davis to LA and managed to pull off 42.6mpg. Obviously one cannot maintain such a speed the entire 5-6hrs it takes to get there but you get the idea. In the right conditions and without traffic to mess up your mojo I bet you could pull off 45mpg at 80-85mph. Especially in a GenIII.

 

I agree F8L. The G3 Prius really shines at high speeds. I have not made up my mind if that is a good or bad thing, since other driving conditions were not improved compared to the G2, but it is impressive.

 

That is the single biggest reason I want a GenIII. Driving at 65mph around here can be nerve racking sometimes. It would be nice to be able to drive 75mph and maintain 50+mpg. Or stick with 65mph and get 60mpg. Right now 65mph gets me 53-54mpg if I can stay away from the big hill going to work.